Anambra Tribunal Has 41 Days To Go , Even As Obiano Contradicts Himself

                                               
With roughly 41 days left for the expiration of 180 days in the petitions
against Chief Willie Obiano of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) declared
winner of the November 2013 elections by the Independent National Election
in Anambra State and sworn in as governor in March, the star witness today
returned to the witness box in the third if such outings in one week, to a
testimony laced with contradictions.


He was testifying in the case EPT/AN/GOV/04/2013 filed by Mr Tony Nwoye,
candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and petition No
EPT/AN/GOV/03/2013 filed by PDP. On a day the tribunal rose , setting aside
Friday 23rd May,2014 for adoption of final addresses in the two petitions,
in addition to EPT/AN/GOV/02/2013 brought to the tribunal by Senator Dr
Chris Ngige and his party , All Progressives Congress.
All three cases have been consolidated at the hearing, while another
petition brought by an Dr Chike Obidigbo, APGA member and claimant to the
candidature if the party is standing alone. The tribunal has reserved
judgment in the Obidigbo case, after parties adopted their addresses late
Wednesday evening.
Chief Obiano under cross-examination from APGA Counsel, Patrick Ikwueto,
SAN told the tribunal that he was not in Anambra State during the INEC
display of voter register.However under cross examination Obiano said he
applied fod the transfer of his Lagos registration particulars in the
office of the Electoral Officer fid Anambra Eat LGA,Mr Nsofor at a period
which coincides with the period of INEC voter display.

A visibly shaken Obiano confessed that he signed and thumb printed Exhibit
P.402 which on the face value is an application for registration under the
CVR programme. Yet the embattled governor who virtually spent the entire
day in the witness box, claimed it was his transfer form.

Obiano emphatically claimed to have made the ‘ transfer, on 19th
August 2013 and followed up on 21st August 2013, on which day had claimed to
have completed a form which has been admitted in evidence as Exhibit
P.402.INECvoter display in Anambra State took place from 19th August to
26th August 2013.
Obiano admitted under further cross examination conducted by Den Nwigwe,
SAN on behalf of Nwoye that he did not state the date of the voter display
and continuous voter registration in his pleading declaring, ‘I do nit
recount stating dates in my reply to the
petition

Shortly before the tribunal reserved judgment in Obidigbo petition,
Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, Counsel for Obiano, Ayotunde Ogunleye, Counsel fir
INEC, and Ikwyeto had asked the court to dismiss Obidigbo’s petition for
lacking in merit having proved that the petitioner is qualified to be the
candidate of APGA or that the 1st Respondent (Obiano) is not qualified.

Counsel for the petitioner, Nzeoba Maduabuchi, however averred that
certified true copies of documents bearing Obiano’s four registrations is
conclysive proof of the offence, urging the tribunal in the co text of and
within the limits if its jurisdiction disqualify Obiano as candidate in the
Nov 2013 election, cancel the elections and recommend the criminal
prosecution of the candidate for contravening Section12(2) of the
÷Electoral Act.

Maduabuchi also urged the tribunal to strike out the final address filed
by INEC as incompetent because while it is dated 19th April, 2014, the case
closed on 2nd Nay,2014, noting that the proper procedure us for INEC which
called no witness to file their address after the closure of the case and
address the court after the petitioner, but since they fixed to do so, the
address should be struck out and expunged from the records, while the
tribunal should consider the address of the 1st Respondent ,Obiano.
Courtesy : 247Ureports